In U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,201 Apr. 9, 1974, to the present inventor and another, there is disclosed an oil barrier having flotation means disposed on both sides thereof to maintain the barrier upright in the water. Means is also provided for maintaining slack in the barrier between the supporting elements, so that the barrier is not in tension, and each barrier portion is therefore permitted some freedom of movement independently of adjacent barrier portions, to better adapt to the wave motion.
However, the structure disclosed in the above identified patent has a number of disadvantages in that the providing of flotation means on both sides of the barrier makes construction, stowing, and handling difficult, and when in use in rough water, the flotation member on the inside of the barrier slaps the oil surface and churns the oil and water into a mixture having a higher average density than pure oil and, as a result, this mixture can more easily pass under the barrier and escape.